Analysis by\u00a0Dr. Joseph Mercola<\/p>\n
Antibodies are proteins your body makes in response to infections and will be detectable in your blood after infection as a sign of your body\u2019s battle against that pathogen. Antibodies for COVID-19 are believed to develop within one to three weeks after infection, and a positive antibody test for COVID-19 means that a person may have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the past.1<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n Titer blood tests, which measure the presence and amounts of certain antibodies in your blood, are sometimes used to prove immunity to a disease.2<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0If your titer is positive, which means it\u2019s above a set value, you\u2019re considered to be immune to the disease, such as measles, mumps or rubella.3<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n This is why, for instance, proof of prior diagnosis with chickenpox, measles and mumps is allowed instead of vaccination to enter most U.S. public schools4<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0\u2014 once you\u2019ve had the disease and recovered, you\u2019re immune.<\/p>\n In the case of COVID-19, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety communication in May 2021,5<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0warning both the public and health care providers not to use SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests to gauge immunity, especially among people who\u2019ve received a COVID-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n In their safety communication, the FDA noted, \u201c\u2026 results from currently authorized SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests should not be used to evaluate a person\u2019s level of immunity or protection from COVID-19 at any time, and especially after the person received a COVID-19 vaccination.\u201d<\/p>\n They state that while a positive antibody test may identify those who have been previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, \u201cmore research is needed in people who have received a COVID-19 vaccination.\u201d SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests haven\u2019t been studied to assess the level of protection the vaccine-induced immune response provides in those who\u2019ve received a COVID-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n Even in people who have not been\u00a0vaccinated<\/a>, the FDA states that a positive antibody test isn\u2019t adequate to show that you\u2019re protected from COVID-19; it\u2019s only an indication that you were possibly infected with SARS-CoV-2 previously. In those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine, a positive result from a SARS-CoV-2 antibody test could indicate a previous natural infection or could be caused by the vaccine. According to the FDA:6<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n \u201cA COVID-19 vaccination may also cause a positive antibody test result for some but not all antibody tests. You should not interpret the results of your SARS-CoV-2 antibody test as an indication of a specific level of immunity or protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n There\u2019s a significant difference in the immune response triggered by natural infection versus vaccination. In the case of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, such as those produced by Pfizer and Moderna, antibodies to the\u00a0spike protein<\/a>\u00a0are induced. In the case of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection, nucleocapsid proteins are detected by antibody testing.<\/p>\n Because of this, people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine and haven\u2019t previously been infected will receive a negative antibody test, provided the test doesn\u2019t detect the vaccine-induced spike protein antibodies.7<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Interestingly, it\u2019s been found that the spike proteins can damage human cells and alter mitochondrial function even without a viral component.8<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n In an animal study published in Circulation Research, when a pseudo virus, which was a cell surrounded by spike proteins that did not contain a virus, was administered into the lungs of hamsters, it caused inflammation, and when healthy endothelial cells that line human arteries were exposed, it disrupted signaling to the mitochondria and caused damage and fragmentation.9<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n The good news about the FDA\u2019s warning is that, as Daily Mail put it, \u201cthe [antibody] blood test likely won’t confirm that someone has been vaccinated (functioning like a pseudo-immunity passport).\u201d10<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0On the other hand, the warning also suggests that those who have previously had a positive antibody test for COVID-19 shouldn\u2019t assume they\u2019re protected. However, this could be a fear-based method to convince more people to get vaccinated. Daily Mail reported:11<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n \u201cThe briefing comes as the United States’ vaccine rollout progress has slowed down in recent weeks, and some who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 or the antibodies do not believe getting vaccinated is necessary. The FDA is saying otherwise and encouraging all Americans to get vaccinated if they are able to do so.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In the U.S., more than 100,000 people have been treated with COVID-19 convalescent plasma, which is sometimes referred to as survivor\u2019s plasma.12<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Because it contains antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, convalescent plasma may help your body fight off the virus and has been found to reduce the progression of COVID-19 in mildly ill older adults.13<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n Transfusion of plasma with higher SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels has also been linked to a lower risk of death in nonventilated patients hospitalized for COVID-19, compared to transfusion of plasma with lower antibody levels.14<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0The Red Cross accepts donations for COVID-19 convalescent plasma, but only from people who have not received a\u00a0COVID-19 vaccine<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the Red Cross, \u201cAt this time individuals who have received a COVID-19 vaccine are not able to donate convalescent plasma with the Red Cross. The Red Cross is working as quickly as possible to evaluate this change \u2014 as it may involve complex system updates.\u201d15<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n In a video posted to Twitter by Musicman, a news anchor states, \u201cThat [convalescent] plasma is made up of antibodies from people who have recovered from the virus, but the vaccine wipes out those antibodies, making the convalescent plasma ineffective in treating other COVID-19 patients.\u201d16<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n While the Red Cross site doesn\u2019t explain why they\u2019re \u201cnot able\u201d to use convalescent plasma, in January 2021 the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) offered a clue to its membership after the FDA revised its guidelines on who can qualify to donate.<\/p>\n \u201cWith two vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. and others in clinical development, FDA says that convalescent plasma should not be collected from individuals who received an investigational COVID-19 vaccine in a clinical trial or who received an authorized or licensed COVID-19 vaccine, unless they meet specific criteria detailed in the guidance,\u201d RAPS says.17<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n In order to be eligible, the FDA stated vaccine recipients must have had symptoms of COVID-19 along with a\u00a0positive test<\/a>\u00a0result, and be within six months of complete resolution of symptoms. According to the FDA, the purpose of the criteria is \u201cto ensure the COVID-19 convalescent plasma collected from donors contains sufficient antibodies directly related to their immune response to COVID-19 infection.\u201d18<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n Before the COVID-19 vaccines received emergency use authorization, the FDA also warned against collecting convalescent plasma from subjects who received the vaccine in a clinical trial \u201cbecause of the uncertainty regarding the quality of the immune response produced by such investigational vaccines.\u201d19<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n There have been problems with COVID-19 antibody tests from the start, in part because it may turn positive if you have antibodies against common cold viruses. There are seven different coronaviruses that cause respiratory illness in humans. Four of them cause symptoms associated with the common cold, while three of them \u2014 SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 \u2014 can cause more serious respiratory illness.<\/p>\n However, the antibodies created by these coronaviruses are very similar, and the U.S. CDC admitted that recovering from the\u00a0common cold can trigger a positive antibody test<\/a>\u00a0for COVID-19, even if you were never infected with SARS-CoV-2 specifically. According to the CDC:20<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n \u201cA positive test result shows you may have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. However, there is a chance that a positive result means you have antibodies from an infection with a different virus from the same family of viruses (called coronaviruses).\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n An international survey of 2,002 people who had received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine found that people who had previously had COVID-19 experienced \u201csignificantly increased incidence and severity\u201d of\u00a0side effects<\/a>\u00a0after the COVID-19 vaccine.21<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Those who had previously had COVID-19 had a greater risk of experiencing any side effect, along with the following, specifically:<\/p>\nAntibody Testing Not Recommended to Assess COVID-19 Immunity<\/h2>\n
COVID Vaccines Induce Antibodies to the Spike Protein<\/h2>\n
Red Cross Needs COVID Plasma \u2014 but Only From the Unvaccinated<\/h2>\n
Problems With Antibody Tests<\/h2>\n
Vaccine Risks for People Who\u2019ve Had COVID<\/h2>\n